Idiot, party of one

As you may recall, I've gone two months without a car payment. That's 60 days of waiting for the first major mechanical problem that would incur a huge bill or necessitate purchasing a new car. For the first time in my life, I'm devoid of new car envy. As I cruise down the street and see a woman in a shiny new BMW, my first thought is no longer, "Her car is cooler than mine," but rather, "Man, I'd hate to have that payment." I've matured so much in my old age. And my five-year-old, paid-for TrailBlazer is looking pretty good to me right now.

But still, the moment that I wrote that final check, I just knew something would go wrong... engine failure, transmission explosion, leaking oil.... so imagine my dismay when, last Friday, my "check engine soon" light came on.

Keep in mind that, although I watch SportsCenter daily and like to hold the remote, my testosterone stops when it comes to anything mechanical. In high school, when they made the entire class take the ASVAB, my mechanics score was less than 40. Really. It's for things like this that I will someday get married. I can see me, at the altar, and someone in the congregation leans over to one of my friends and says, "What's their story? Was it love at first sight? Did he sweep her off her feet?" Friend replies, "Nope. He changed her oil and squashed a bug."

I realize this morning that my oil gauge is a bit sporadic and I haven't changed the oil since April (in my defense, that's only 5,000 miles). So I stopped to get a change at lunch hoping that would cure my "check engine" issue. Not only did my oil need to be changed, they had to add two extra quarts (oops) and change my really gross air filter. So I'm down 72 bucks and confident that my light will no longer be on.

Wrong. It's still on. Seriously, I can't afford a $500 car issue. So, with trepidation, I stop to get gas after work and I realize that (wait for it...) my gas cap was loose. And when I tightened it, the "check engine" light went off.

I am an idiot. Mostly because I'm the girl who's actually taken this very vehicle in for service and the mechanic, trying not to laugh, had to inform me that my gas cap was loose.

But at least it wasn't an expensive problem. And I don't have to change my oil 'til '08.

What is it they say about rainy days and Mondays?